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Former Vice President and the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the alleged persecution of former President of the Senate Bukola Saraki by the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration under the guise of fighting corruption.
Atiku made this assertion in a statement he personally signed on Monday and made available to BusinessDay by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, following reports the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had allegedly revived cases against Saraki said to have been concluded at the Supreme Court. Atiku argued that his anti-corruption stance was not in doubt, which was why his office personally facilitated the take-off of the EFCC, after it was created by then President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He however, pointed out that there is a huge difference between prosecution and persecution, saying “I am all for prosecuting the corrupt, but I believe it is wrong to use the instruments of state to persecute political opponent.
“Bukola Abubakar Saraki, the immediate past Senate President, is one of the most investigated politicians in Nigeria. He has been investigated and prosecuted all the way to the Supreme Court and has prevailed against his accusers. It was expected that that should have beenhe end of the matter.
“However, the revival of previously investigated cases, and the fact that Dr. Saraki was politically opposed to the administration of General Muhammadu Buhari seems to give strong grounds for objective bystanders to conclude that his current travails have gone beyond prosecution and are now tending towards persecution,” Atiku said.
He stressed that the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are made for all adding that Nigerians fought for democracy so that the powers of the state would not be used to suborn tyranny and oppression.
He urged Saraki to stand firm and take solace in the fact that Nigerians still hold the constitution higher than any other authority.
“I urge all Nigerians, and especially those tasked with upholding the constitution and the laws of the land, to note that silence in the face of oppression is akin to acquiescence. I, Atiku Abubakar, will always stand up for the constitution and Nigeria,” he said.
